MOSCOW, May 8 (Reuters) – Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Friday of violating a two-day ceasefire announced by Moscow to cover the celebrations of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
The Russian Defence Ministry said 264 Ukrainian drones had been downed in the early hours of Friday, while Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the capital had been targeted and officials said the Urals region of Perm had been attacked with drones.
Russia announced a ceasefire for May 8 to 10, when it celebrates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany and holds a military parade in Moscow.
Russia had warned that any attempt by Ukraine to disrupt the celebrations would lead to a massive missile strike on Kyiv, and Moscow has told foreign diplomats to evacuate the Ukrainian capital ahead of any possible retaliation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian forces continued to strike Ukrainian positions during the night on Friday, which he said showed Russia has not made “even a token attempt to cease fire on the front.”
He said that as of 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) there were more than 140 Russian strikes on Kyiv’s frontline positions. Russian forces carried out 10 assaults during the night and launched more than 850 drone strikes, he added.
“As we did over the past 24 hours, Ukraine will respond in kind today as well. We will defend our positions and people’s lives,” Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy this week, in response to Moscow’s announcement, had proposed an open-ended ceasefire starting on May 6, which he said Russia has violated.
Neither side agreed to the other’s proposals.
The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War Two, including many millions in Ukraine, but pushed Nazi forces back to Berlin, where Adolf Hitler committed suicide and the red Soviet Victory Banner was raised over the Reichstag in May 1945.
(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Lincoln Feast.)